Ashes by Now
by Toes of the Tickled Kind
Summary: My first story, originally posted three years ago. DrGinny. Harry and Draco are called into protect Ginny. When things go wrong relationships begin to develop. Its pretty funny, try it out.


Ginny glared at her mother. Molly's frizzled hair sat shoulder length and wound in soft, small curls springing from a tight bun. The large woman squirmed under her daughter's gaze.  
"Ginny, don't scowl like that dear!" Ginny was sixteen, her seventh year at Hogwarts would be starting in little over two months. Ginny's intense expression lost its flare, though the anger remained. It rested heavily between her shoulder blades. The tension was taut enough to break.  
"It'll only be for a bit," Molly said logically, "Besides, he's different now. He's part of the Order."  
Ginny didn't care if he ran naked through the streets waving a banner that said 'I'm not a prat, let me in', she still wouldn't open the door for the boy. Ginny rose to her stunning five foot six, standing she was two inches taller than her mother, but when her mother was sitting she towered. Ginny gave a small smile when she compared size; she was eight inches shorter than Ron.  
Ron who had gone to America to study with the American aurors. Ginny hadn't seen her brother since school let out. She hadn't seen any of her brothers yet that summer. It had been years since Fred and George started the shop, and business was thriving, so they had a good reason. The twins had even insisted on paying back every Knut they had ever cost their parents in repairs. It had been a fairly substantial amount, which centered on a broken vase.  
"For everything we've broken," Fred had said, handing their mother a large bag of galleons. Her eyes had narrowed and hands on her hips she had demanded, exactly what, have you been breaking?"  
The two looked at each other. "Oh, small things, chairs, books, brooms, Aunt Gracie's vase," they had said together.  
"What!" their mother bellowed, "You told me Ronald broke that vase!"  
"Did we? "George had asked, and then bolted, leaving Fred to the wrath of a very angry Molly Weasley. Ginny shook her head at the thought of her two twin brothers. Even though they had a business to run she hadn't seen them since last summer. They were sharing a flat in London to be closer to the shop and away from Molly's slow receding temper.

"You can't possibly change in a few days!"Ginny snapped, "I've known him for six years. HE CAN'T!"  
"Come on Ginny, he does have a certain appeal about him, and Dumbledore trusts him." Ginny rolled her eyes.  
"He has all the appeal of toast."  
Molly smiled at the statement, Ginny loved toast.  
"Then you two should get along real well," Molly insisted, "You love toast."  
"Argh!" Ginny said in frustration, stomping to her room. There was a sharp rap at the door when Ginny reached the stairs. Ginny went to answer it and swung the door open viciously. She glared rudely and he blinked at her in surprise.  
"Is that him?" Molly called, "Don't be rude, let him in."  
Ginny considered it, really, she did. The door slammed in his face at he stared at it in surprise. As he stood on their stoop he heard the sound of a slamming door. He knocked again, his silver eyes hazy and uncaring. The door opened again and he was embraced tightly. He stood in the woman's arms awkwardly, looking past her head to the door. Physical contact of any kind was forbidden unless it was during sex or something of the like.

She let him go saying, "Hello Draco, I hope you're well." She took his hand and led him into the living room. It was a personal gesture...and it felt...weird. After all, affection is not something they teach you at Sociopaths R Us.  
"Ginny, come greet our guest," Molly called up the stairs. Ginny came slowly, dressed in a green sundress, with pale yellow lace at the bottom and collar. It had been a gift from Harry. Ginny fingered the dress in consternation. Why she had decided to wear it she didn't know, maybe because it made her feel safe...or near Harry; or maybe because it made her completely pissed off.

Ginny grew angry every time she thought of Harry, her valiant knight who could have nothing to do with her. He was too busy trying to save the world to endanger her. All Ginny could ever be to Harry is cannon fodder, and Ginny didn't like that idea one bit. Ginny hadn't seen Harry since his graduation party. He was too busy cooped up in London training for his Auror quiz. He had ridden off into the sunset without a second glance, ready to settle an old score, claim his destiny. All cannon fodder was shoved into a small shoe box, and buried where it couldn't come into harm. Namely one Miss Genevra Weasley placed in a small pink room that clashed horribly with her hair, hidden in the heart of the burrow; the third floor really. Ginny had been virtually alone with her parents for the first two weeks of summer vacation...until Arthur came up missing from work.  
She stopped in front of him, the Slytherin smirk firmly on her lips.  
"Malfoy," she said, putting a hand out. He took it, "Weaslette." There was a warm fuzzy feeling creeping up her arm and she frowned at the warmth.  
"What?" Draco asked curiously, there was no way he had offended her with a hand shake, even he wasn't THAT good.  
"You're warm," she remarked, surprised, her eyes wide. It was his turn to frown.  
"I'm not cold blooded, _Ginny_," he said, emphasis on her name. She didn't know he knew her name, and she said this aloud without meaning to.  
"There are a lot of things you don't know," he replied, his nose in the air. Ginny mulled that over. He had names for her; all of them were rude; how he came upon her real names she didn't know.  
"I know you're an aristocratic son of a bastard," Ginny said, head high. They seemed to have realized they were holding hands and sprang apart from each other quickly. Draco looked at her amused as she blushed and crossed her arms over her chest. Now she remembered why she disliked him so, he made her feel uncomfortable, like she had when she was younger, and she didn't understand it.  
"I'm going for a walk," she huffed, and stomped out the door. She turned toward the clearing they used as a pitch, and thought "Pale skin just screams cold as ice, maybe he should get a tan."  
Then she was treated to an image of Draco Malfoy in swimming trunks all golden brown on a beach and shook a head, horrified. "That's ridiculous," she said aloud to herself, "Draco Malfoy does not own knees."

* * *

(Dream)

Ginny turned around, feeling totally and utterly lost. The gnawing feeling at her belly becoming more intense, until it physically hurt. She silently took in her surroundings and realized she was in a cave; a very large cave. She took one step forward and realized she was ankle deep in snakes. They hissed and flicked their tongues and Ginny screamed at their greedy pleas. 'Blood' they hissed, 'give us the blood of your life.'  
"No!" Ginny screamed; no one was getting her blood, not anymore. The largest snake she had ever seen inched quickly toward her. It wrapped its large body around her and jerking her from the ground rolled her into its scaly, muscled body, bringing them, her and the monster, face to face. She screamed as she felt her body jerk out of her control.

(End Dream)

* * *

Ginny reached up and grabbed the hand on her shoulder. She heard the horrible sound of shrieking and realizing it was her, she clamped her mouth shut. She breathed in deeply, feeling ready to hyperventilate as she often did, and watched as the silence floated about them like down feathers falling from the sky. She looked at Draco Malfoy and cut off his question.  
"What are you doing in here?" she demanded roughly, though it came out on a small squeak. It had been a week since he had joined the Weasley women at the Burrow. He was staying in Charlie's room right next to her and she was feeling light headed, confused and annoyed. He put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.  
"What happened? You were screaming bloody murder." Ginny looked around soaking in the familiar surroundings. Ginny slightly remembered her dream and wished Charlie, or even Ron was there. When she was little she use to climb into bed with Charlie, and after he had left into bed with Ron after she had a particularly frightening nightmare. Weeks, even months after her first year she had slept comfortably wedged between George and the wall. All of her brothers had come together to protect her after that. Ginny snapped from her reverie. She felt a cold chill crawl up her spine and dismissed it as the residual left over of a quickly fading dream.  
"You know, a hug would be nice," she said softly to the uncomfortable boy. He pulled her into his arms and squeezed her tightly. She closed her eyes and tucked her face into the curve of the neck, and inhaled deeply. He smelled of the night sky, lemon pepper and rain. She was again amazed at how warm he was as she leaned against him, her arms around his neck. A sharp prick started up her arm and she looked up at Draco startled to see if he had felt it too. He gave her an odd expression, one she could neither read, nor want to. Harry walked into the room then. The chill Ginny felt was replaced by sharp cold as Draco pulled away. Ginny looked at the two boys confused. Then she carefully walked to Harry and hugged him.  
"Hi Harry, when did you get here?" she said, sheepishly smiling. What she wanted to ask was why he was there. Wasn't he supposed to off on his proverbial white horse saving the world?  
"What were you doing just now?" Harry asked quietly, and Ginny frowned at the insinuation.  
"I had a nightmare," Ginny defended herself, although she didn't have to answer to Harry, and she told him so. He disregarded the statement.  
"So you jumped into Draco's arms?" Harry demanded, hands on hips.

Ginny was reminded of the one and only time she had slept with Harry, the day she had jumped into his arms. Or rather had rolled. She had been dreaming of Tom again, in her fourth year, and she had whimpered out loud. She had fallen asleep on the sofa in the Common Room and Harry had heard her from his invisible perch in the darkened window. He had walked her to the fifth year boys' dorm and she had undressed into her overly large t-shirt and curled up with Harry. That morning Ron had flung the curtains back while bellowing something along the lines of, "Why are Ginny's clothes all over the floor?" Harry had shielded his eyes from the onslaught of sunlight and answered, "Because she slept with me." Ron had growled out in that low predatorial big brother voice, "She better be wearing knickers."  
Ginny had groaned that they were in Dean Thomas's bed before rolling over and falling asleep again.

"I am not going to have this argument with you Harry Potter," Ginny said automatically, "Besides, when are you on first name basis with Malfoy!" Harry shrugged, "That's a bit different," he protested.  
"I'm sure it is," Ginny said, "God, do all guys twist everything into some form of sexual expression or is it just the arseholes?"  
"Just us, I'm sure," Harry said plainly.  
"Let me get this straight," Ginny said, "You can call him Draco, but I can't hug him?"  
"Do you want to hug him?"  
"Do you care if I hug him?"  
"No."  
"Fine!" Ginny yelled, "Then it isn't any of your business is it?"  
"Can I say something?" interjected Draco, and both turned to look at him. "Potter, you can't treat her like a sister, and then act like her boyfriend."  
Harry glared Draco's way. "What I'm saying is you can't stir the soup with two spoons, milk the cow twice, you can't have the nookie and the cookie, have your cake and..."  
"We get it!" Harry snapped at Draco's retreating back.  
"Did he just?" Ginny squeaked, her jaw open.  
"Yeah," That was the saddest part of the conversation, Malfoy was right. Kill me now, she pleaded silently. And looking down Ginny realized why she was so cold.  
"Oh."

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me Harry was coming?" Ginny asked her mother casually. Molly smiled, "He said he wanted it to be a surprise, wasn't that sweet?" Ginny could see her mother's mind working already. She was already planning the wedding and counting the raven-haired grandchildren. Two point five and the white picket fence...mustn't forget the fence.  
"Yeah," Ginny said, faking enthusiasm, really her mind was on exactly how much of a surprise it really was. Of course Ginny had no problem understanding why Harry had been so protective of her. It was after both boys left that she had realized she had some how squirmed her way out of her pajama top and was standing half naked with a shirtless Malfoy. No wonder she had been cold when the boy had pulled away, she thought wryly. No wonder the chills, and the odd looks.  
"Are you all right, dear?" her mother questioned for the third time and Ginny blushed. "Yeah mum, I'm fine," Ginny said smiling, "It's all good."  
Molly looked confused but dismissed the expression; since Ginny had spent her fifth year at a school in America she had the weirdest way of saying the simplest things. She had picked up a lot of things that year.  
"Breakfast is about to be served," Molly said, "Why don't you fetch Harry and Draco?" Just like that Draco had become part of the household. Not that Ginny could complain about Draco, he did his fair share of chores. Once he even tried to de-gnome the garden. One bit him and after he forced the thing off his finger he stupefied the small man into a wall. Incidentally, the gnome was fine, just a small bump on its rather large cranium.

* * *

Ginny bound silently up to Bill's room and opened the door. Harry lay in Bill's large bed, his six foot frame swallowed by it. Harry slept as he always had, curled into a ball, his back to the door. He was muscular; Ginny knew that. She'd once fallen down a hidden well on the Shrieking Shack's property. Harry hauled her back up and carried her to the hospital wing. Ginny was always surprised that Harry looked so...frail...yes; he looked frail when he slept. She reached out and touched his shoulder lightly. She had tons of practice waking him; six years would do that to two people. He unfurled himself and blinked twice before his eyes adjusted to the dim light and he reached for his glasses. Ginny silently walked to the window and threw the curtain open, cracking the window for him. Harry loved the smell of morning. Probably because he was amazed to be alive for another day, but she had never asked him, like he had never asked why she loved the smell of night, and could sometimes be found sleeping on her back in the yard, all covered in dew. They nodded their mutual apologies, and Harry headed for the shower. Ginny on the other hand started for Charlie's room. She knocked softly before entering, growing accustomed to the small changes Draco made to make the room seem more like him.

* * *

(Dream-Draco)

"You think I'm stupid Draco?" Lord Voldemort snapped and Draco took a step back from the Dark Lord. "You think I don't know that you and Potter are friends?" Draco felt the sharp pain leather hitting flesh. The whips. They had pulled the whips out. His father had used the whips on the boy when he refused to obey orders. And at first Draco had denied his father any command, large or small. The whips brought him back to himself. Back to the idea that he was just another possession, just another servant.  
"I don't know what you mean," Draco gasped through the pain, felt it connect to untouched skin. There wouldn't be marks, there were never marks.  
"Did you really think you could fool us?" Lucius demanded, "All of us?" Draco raised his eyes to his father.  
"Didn't I?" demanded Draco harshly, and his father laughed with Voldemort, while the pale man stared down at him disinterested.  
"No," Lucius said softly, crouching to take Draco's chin in the palm of his hand, "I've always known. I saw how you looked at her. Saw the adoration you held for her. You were weak, and it was my fault. I allowed you emotion to the girl because I thought it would go away, disappear with your age."  
Lucius let go suddenly and stalked away from him, leaving the Dark Lord to crouch mere inches from his face.  
"Your father indulged you with every thing you wanted," the Dark Lord stated, "But he should have warned you to stay away from what is mine."  
The Dark Lord reached for Draco's hand and where he touched him it scalded like hot water over a fresh wound.

(End Dream)

* * *

Harry had hidden muscles, where as Draco's were evident with each movement. Draco had the body of a god and Ginny stood there staring at his bare chest. His blankets were discarded on the floor and Ginny saw he was wearing his vampire duck and penguin boxers, her favorite pair, she might add. He had an entire variety of silk boxers to look at. His right arm was thrown over his eyes and Ginny touched the pale skin below his wrist and he automatically sprang into action. He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her over him.  
"Don't touch me!" he yelled, and pulling back his left fist he punched her. Her head snapped back with the force of the blow and her brown eyes widened in surprise. Blood trickled out the side of her already bleeding lip.  
"Ouch! Damn it Malfoy!" she said and realized two things. The first was that he was asleep and the second was that he was going to swing at her again. She put both arms up to block the blow and this time she crashed into the headboard of the bed. Her head slid down the dark oak wood as she whimpered in pain. She landed on the soft pillows and blacked out for a few moments.

* * *

(Ginny Unconscious)

She saw the grinning black haired boy before her ringing ears heard him.  
"Ginny! How good of you to join me." Ginny groaned. "I thought I got rid of you," she said snidely. Tom grinned again.  
"You can't get rid of what you won't let go." Was Ginny holding on to Tom? She didn't think so. She had worked hard to block his thoughts, his face from her mind. Slowly she began drawing her mental shields back up, forcing him to move or be crushed. He smiled; a shadow of his sneer and kissed his finger tips, blew it softly towards her. She felt it glide through her walls and strike her cheek. And that was when she knew she was in trouble.

(End of Dream)

* * *

When she opened her eyes Draco was looking down on her with something like concern in his eyes. Harry stood behind him with Molly.  
"Ginny are you okay?" Draco said, "How many fingers am I holding up?" And he proceeded to hold up four fingers...or maybe it was two.  
"I'll give you a finger," Ginny growled, trying to sit up, but falling back down as the world twirled in kaleidoscopic colors. Ginny fell back down with a groan, her hand raised to comfort her head. It came away with sticky, wet blood.  
"Crap," she said with feeling. Molly looked at her oddly.  
"You'll need to get cleaned up."  
"I can't believe you hit her," Harry said, sounding scandalized. Draco looked down at the floor and Ginny rolled her eyes.  
"It wasn't Malfoy's fault," she said softly, trying to fend the headache that was creeping upon her,  
"He was asleep and didn't know he was hitting me." Or at least she hoped that was what happened. He gave her a small smile to reassure her and nodded. An uncomfortable silence settled in the room and Ginny finally broke it.  
"Well, now that that's settled, I need some help into the bathroom, I'm a complete mess."  
She shifted her gaze to Draco, "As for you," she said squarely, "Were getting you an alarm clock."  
She sat up again and was happy when the earth stopped tilting and settled.  
"Let me help you," Draco said, scooping her from the bed and carrying her into the bathroom. He sat her on the toilet lid and ran her bath.  
"I'll send your mum with your bathrobe," Draco said, preparing to leave. Ginny nodded, and wished she hadn't. She stood to undress as he reached for the doorknob and she said quietly, "Draco."  
He turned to find her struggling with the buttons to her pants. He batted her hands out of the way and said, "I'll get it." He made quick work of the buttons, and pulled the zipper down.  
"Turn around and I'll unbutton your shirt." Ginny's breath caught in her throat. She turned slowly and he quickly undid the buttons. She pressed the shirt to herself as he unbuttoned her shirt and when he was finished she turned to face him. He didn't apologize, she didn't expect him too. He did lean down, and press his cheek to the side he hit her on. He looked into her eyes and was about to...he was only a fraction of a breath away ...  
"Hey Malfoy!" Harry called through the door, "Molly wants us to run an errand." Draco pulled away and gave her a smirk.  
"Later Ginny," he said softly.  
"Thanks Malfoy," she responded. With a nod he was out the door.  
"Harry Potter, the-boy-who-has-indescribably-bad-timing," she said softly. Shedding her clothes she climbed into the tub and sunk her head into the water. It came away slightly pink. Her mother didn't bring her the robe so she donned a fluffy pink towel and made a mad dash to her room.

* * *

Ginny walked slowly down the stairs in a new pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt. It said 'RPIT rrrrocks,' with a frog on the front, and Anita Blake, Preternatural Pied Piper on the back. Ginny sat down at the breakfast table, glad that they had waited for her before eating. Ginny passed the eggs away without taking any.  
'I just want toast,' she said. She looked at Draco as she took her first bit. 'Yep,' she said with a mysterious smile, 'toast. Buttered toast."  
Molly's eyes twinkled down at her coffee, now if only she would hear from Arthur she would be completely happy.

* * *

(A few days later)

"Come on Draco, please!" Ginny said breathlessly.  
Draco smirked, "Ginny," he said slowly, "I don't think we should"  
"Pleeeeeeeeease!" Ginny asked, grinning and breathing heavily.  
"I don't know," Draco stated...Ginny's grin fell...and he smiled.  
"OK, why not...you'll be the best dancer at Bill's wedding," Draco said calmly. Truth be told, she wasn't half bad now. Ginny stepped forward, giving Draco her right hand, her left coming to his shoulder. "Ok, follow my lead," he said smugly, and began to twirl her about the backyard. Ginny giggled. Then trod on his toe.  
"Ouch Gin!" the blonde boy protested," Focus please, or I won't be able to walk."  
"Sorry," Ginny mumbled, as Harry came from the house. He watched Ginny for a moment, before saying, "Are you still at that?"  
"Yes, I don't know why Bill is requesting this specific dance," Ginny grumbled. "You'd think he'd figure out that no one knows how to do the tango anymore."  
"Malfoy seems to be doing quite well," Harry remarked. Ginny trod on his toe again. "Ouch!" Draco muttered," Potter, get lost, you're distracting the student." They ignored him, "Face it Harry, Malfoy's a freak of nature"  
"I resent that!" Draco said," There is nothing remotely wrong with me."  
"Oh, you mean other than a swelled head," Harry asked.  
"I do not have a...hey! I resent that too," Draco cried, twirling Ginny, before dipping her. He looked into her beautiful eyes and...Harry cleared his throat. "You two have been standing like that for five minutes," Harry remarked.  
"Oh," was all Ginny said.  
"That's how you're supposed to do it," remarked Draco. Ginny straightened up, and cleared her throat.  
"Hey Malfoy," she said evilly," Harry needs to learn how to dance too."  
"What!" they barked together.  
"I am not dancing with Potter," Draco snapped.  
"What about me!" Harry protested, "I'm not dancing with him!" he said, flinging an accusing finger at the blonde boy. Draco sniffed.  
"Fine," Ginny said sadly, "Hmmm, I wonder if Neville will want to go to the wedding with me"  
"That's not fair, Neville doesn't have to dance with Malfoy!"  
"I danced with Malfoy, he's actually quite good."  
Harry sniffed, "I hate you both!"  
"Ditto." Ginny then watched Draco lead a stumbling Harry through the Tango. "Ouch!...Potter!...you poof, can't you do anything?" Draco yelped every time Harry trod over his feet.  
Personally, Ginny thought he was doing it on purpose...she suspected that Draco thought so too, when at the end of the dance he dipped Harry, then kissed him. Harry yelped like he was burned and Draco dropped him unceremoniously on the ground. Then chuckling to himself he walked off. Neither of the two remaining saw him wipe furiously at his mouth as he turned the corner of the house.  
"Now THAT is how it's supposed to be done!" Ginny said clapping.  
"Bleah!" Harry said, and ran inside to find a tooth brush and some mouthwash.

* * *

(Dream-Draco)

Running, yes, running was good. So he ran, and ran, smacking into a tree, and ran some more. Yes, life certainly was interesting, running for the preservation of one's self. What was he running for? Well, he didn't really know, but he did know who he was running to. He ran into a clearing where the beautiful auburn girl was standing. "Come on," He said, grabbing her and attempting to pull her away watched in disbelief as she easily pulled away. "We have to get out of here," he said, and pulled on her once more. She stayed rooted to her spot.

"I cannot leave." She said, " I owe him my allegiance." the words came, like they were forced out, and surely they were. Draco thought to himself, this is a weird dream. He gripped Ginny's waist?Help me, help me destroy him, please.? " You can't destroy him," she said sadly, and pulling a six inch dagger from her robes as Draco?s eyes widened. She took two steps forward, pressed the cool steel to his flesh, and pulled down. "Why," Draco croaked as the blood ran from his throat.  
"Because I can't fight him!"

(End of Dream)

Draco awoke covered in sweat, clutching his pale, delicate throat. It had been so real he swore he could still feel the blade pressed to his throat. He tiptoed to her room and opened the door quietly, standing there watching her sleep. She tossed and turned before flinging something away from her body. It landed with a heavy thwack in the wooden floor and Draco swallowed in horror. It was the blade from his dream.  
She turned and looked at him slowly, like a victim in a horror movie; not that Draco had ever snuck out to see one (cough Jason X cough) and looked at him wide eyed.  
"Your blood is on my hands" She moaned softly in despair. Then she rocked back and forth in the bed. "Your blood (back) is on (forward) my hands"  
She buried her face in her knees and cried. "I never want that to happen"  
Neither do I, Draco thought.  
"Ginny, what's happening? he asked, none of the fear he felt in his voice. She tried twice before she could call words.  
"Tom, its Tom. He...oh my god! I thought," she flung her covers over her head and cried.  
Draco thought about wrapping his arms around her and reassuring her. Instead he left. He closed the door and hid under his own covers. Draco Malfoy was not cowardly, but he was afraid, and nothing took away the sting of fear like hiding under your blankets and praying to hell for all your ass is worth that the monsters will go away.

* * *

(One Week Later)

"Your father has been located in a hospital in America,"Molly said, bustling about the kitchen

"Harry and I are going to visit him."  
"I'm coming too!" Ginny said, already decided. Molly clucked and shook her head.  
"I'm sorry, you can't.The only way to the hospital is through apparition, and you haven't taken your test yet."

Well, that certainly wasn't her fault. She had been begging her mother to take her for the test for weeks now. Her mother was always too busy. Things had been tense between her and Draco since the week before when they had shared a dream, and Ginny had been avoiding him since then. Of course, when she found out she had to stay home alone with him for three days Ginny suggested he go, and Harry stay.  
"Why can't you take Malfoy?" Ginny asked, "I'm old enough to stay home alone."  
"Harry is going," Molly said absent-mindedly, and continued packing her things.  
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Draco asked offended, and Ginny rolled her eyes at him, sometimes he really could be foolish.  
"No!" Ginny denied quickly, "I just think it would do you some good to, you know, leave, stretch your legs."  
Draco shrugged, they both knew what she was trying to do, and he really didn't care, or at least he told himself he didn't. So off Molly and Harry went, to visit a father Ginny hadn't seen in a month.

She sighed in defeat, and they spent the first day in comfortable silence, that Ginny broke around ten the second night.  
"Tom marked me," she said quietly, Draco heard anyway.  
He choked on the juice he had been drinking, his eyes watering with the effort to breathe. Even that gesture was graceful with the blonde boy. Ginny smiled wanly.  
"He marked me. When the diary was destroyed he clung to my mind."  
"Diary?" Draco asked frowning. He had no idea what she was talking about.  
"You didn't know your father gave me Tom Riddle's diary my first year and I opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Ginny asked. She knew Dumbledore had edited the story, but she had no idea how much he had left out, namely her. Why were people always trying to protect her?  
"Are you saying Tom Riddle is still in you?" Draco asked after a moment; rather sharply for Ginny's liking, it made her nervous, and she hid her face. She nodded, looking up at him. "Tom Riddle isn't a memory, he's Voldemort soul."

Draco frowned again, "Are you sure?"  
Ginny nodded, looking away. "He clings to me, me and my humanity Draco. I feel him, hear him sometimes, just like he feels and hears me. I'm the one thing he wants, because to him I'm the one unreachable thing."  
Draco looked at her in shock.  
"The nightmares are from Tom, he's baiting me. He wants me to be like him.  
"Why? I thought you said he clings to your humanity."  
"If I'm like him, then he knows he can have me, and I don't want that," Ginny said sadly, curling into a ball on her side and lying down upon the couch. They fell back into silence.

Draco worked on a stack of papers as Ginny watched, before slowly falling asleep. She dreamed of many things, running, kissing Tom, and then of kissing Draco as he held her in his arms. She only just realized she felt his warmth as he carried her to her room. Draco carried her to her room, and sat her on her bed. Rooting around for her pajamas he quickly found them. He pulled her shirt off, and stared.  
He tried not to, really, he did? but he couldn't help himself. She had the most beautiful body he had ever seen. She slowly woke up, as if she felt the chill of the room along with his gaze upon her skin.  
"Draco?" she asked hesitantly, licking her lips, and he growled low in his throat, pulling her close for a mind shattering kiss.

When he finally pulled away, breathing heavy, he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." take advantage of you, he was going to say, while he blushed profusely. She cut him off with a searing kiss that jerked at lower regions. She opened her mouth to him and giggled as he explored her languidly.  
"Are you giggling? he asked, pretending to be cross, pulling away.  
"Well, it did tickle," she said smartly, kissing his jaw. He cocked an eyebrow, and trailed kisses down her neck, to the pulse at her throat.  
"Does this tickle?" he asked, then he trailed kisses over the top of her breasts before licking her nipple through her bra.  
"Hmm, yes, I suppose it does," she gasped, as he claimed her mouth again. She could hear his heart beating frantically, and vaguely wondered if he could hear hers as well.  
"Ginny?" he began softly.

* * *

"Arthur!" Molly all but shouted and flung herself at her bed ridden husband. Harry stood next to his long time friend and stand-in father. "Arthur, it's nice to see you well." Not that a broken leg was truly well.  
"Arthur, what happened?" Molly demanded after a short squeeze.  
"They killed the girl who looked like Ginny," he said, "When they realized it wasn't her they used the killing curse."  
Molly gasped and Harry looked around the room in suspension.  
"I think Lucius Malfoy was one of them."  
"What makes you say that Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked with a frown. "He mentioned the Chamber of Secrets, only Lucius Malfoy knows that Ginny opened the Chamber."  
If Malfoy was involved then whatever they had planned for Ginny had to be important enough to involve Voldemort's right-hand man. "Where is young Malfoy?" Arthur asked curiously. "Back at the burrow with Ginny," Molly replied simply.  
"WHAT!" Arthur yelled, shooting straight up in his hospital bed. It was followed by an "Ouch!" and a "bugger!" as it jarred his healing leg.

* * *

Ginny heard voices, angry voices. She snuggled deeper into the warmth of her bed, and hoped who ever it was would go away. She worked on blocking the voices out, but the voices were steadily rising, and she became aware that they were not going away. She opened one eye and both the faces and voices broke through her subconscious. It was Draco and a very, very pissed off Harry.  
"How could you sleep with her knowing you were deceiving her?"Harry demanded rather loudly, maybe he was hoping the auburn haired youth would wake up.  
Or maybe he was as pissed as he looked. Draco flinched and Ginny sat up.  
"What the bloody hell is going on?" she demanded, confused. They didn't seem to hear her.  
"Don't blame this completely on me, Potter, she asked me to," Draco shot back.

"This wasn't part of the mission," Harry snapped "You were sent here to protect her, not fuck her brains out."  
Which, Draco noted silently, he had done rather well.  
"What the FUCK is going on here? Ginny demanded, and both boys finally looked at her.  
"This arse hole was sent to protect you!" Harry shouted pointing at Draco as he emphasized every other word.

"WE were sent to protect you" Draco said, but Ginny cut in.  
"You've been lying to me? And what, Mum's been purposefully keeping me here?"  
Both boys looked away and Ginny gasped.  
"Oh gods!" she said clutching her stomach and feeling sick, "I don't believe this. I don't believe this."  
"Ginny?" Harry said, stepping closer to Ginny, as she was on the edge of hyperventilating. Ginny flagged him down, and pulling her discarded clothes on she ran out her bedroom door.

She could hear them running after her, and she thumped quickly out the kitchen door and into the yard. She could feel Harry reach for her and throwing herself to the ground into a side fall maneuver watched as his arm missed her. She quickly rolled away and to her feet, into her fighting pose, a side horse stance. Draco stepped toward her and she turned slightly toward him.  
"Don't, don't come near me," she growled, and added as an after thought, "Don't touch me."  
Harry stepped forward and she said, "Don't Harry, I will lay you flat on your ass."  
"Ginny, you don't know how to fight," Harry said evenly. Ginny had learned the basics in kenpo while she was in America staying with her friend Tarra Williams.  
"What do you think I did in America, Harry? Stood around and played dress-up! Trust me, I can fight, and right now I have no qualms about kicking either of your asses. How could you not tell me? You're supposed to be my friend."  
She turned to Draco, "And you, you'll always be that blonde coward I knew from Hogwarts," Ginny could have ranted on but Harry chose that moment to touch her shoulder, and grabbing his ram she pinned it behind his back. She proceeded to shove him into Draco, sending them both toppling over and ran away from them.  
"Ginny! Ginny wait!" Harry called, trying to chase her, but succeeded in falling over Draco instead.

Ginny didn't know how long she ran but she soon met the borders of her property and ran into a veil like thing. It seemed to want to keep her in, so she struggled against it, before finally breaking through, and running on.  
"Come, Ginny, my darling," Tom's voice echoed in her mind, "Let me help you escape from here, you know I can.  
"I thought I sealed you away." Ginny huffed.  
Tom laughed at that.  
"It doesn't matter what you try to do to me, I'm still here, and I always will be," he said smugly "And you'll always be with me."  
"Go away, Tom?" Ginny said angrily, "I've had enough of guys to last me forever."  
And she shoved the dark haired boy's image to the back of her mind. No amount of skill in kenpo was going to protect her from Tom.

* * *

Ginny clutched her stomach gingerly...she hated when she hyperventilated and this time was no different. She had enough time to prop herself up against a tree before a lack of oxygen knocked her unconscious. She came awake slowly, noting she was cold, and was wearing nothing but a green dress. She stood slowly and contemplated letting Tom in so she could rant to someone. She decided against it. If he could break her mental shields on his own she would talk to him... briefly. She felt it like a whisper, the words "a promise" echoing through her mind.  
'No,' she told the words firmly, 'its not...bugger off.'  
They disappeared quickly, Ginny aware that Tom was screwing with her.  
"What's he up to now?" she asked herself quietly, finding a stream. She cupped the cool liquid to her mouth and drank greedily, not realizing she had been so thirsty. In a burst of energy she pulled her clothes off and attempted to wash all traces of Draco from her body, but no matter what she did his scent stayed glued to her.  
"Like he's staked his territory," Tom said grinning, "Us Slytherins always were greedy people. We HATE to share."  
"Then stop sharing my mind and get your own," Ginny snapped, shoving him away...she decided that no amount of loneliness would make her resort to talking to Tom again. He was, and always would be, an ass. She felt him smirk with in the walls of her mind. He loved that she hated him...made the game more fun.  
"Damn it all to Hades!" she growled, she was beginning to think like him again. She pulled herself to the bank, and dressing, fell down and cried herself to sleep beneath a large willow that seemed to shift to hide her from view. She could hear voices and came awake quickly and silently. Disappearing completely into the shadow of the tree's bark she listened as two Death Eaters' spoke.  
"The master said she was around here some where," one whispered.  
'What?' Ginny thought, surely they weren't talking about her, and what would Voldemort want with her?  
"Come on Ginevra," Tom said, using her full name, "He is my other half. If one loves you, the other has to as well"  
"What!" Ginny exclaimed, that wasn't exactly a comforting thought. "You're telling me that your sociopathic side is looking for me because he _LOVES_ me?"  
"Sociopathic? If he's sociopathic then what am I?" Tom asked amused.  
Ginny mumbled something that sounded a lot like, "A child in need of a good spanking and a horseradish sandwich."  
"We better hurry and find the mistress," the other toned, and picked up a small rock to look under.  
She sighed inwardly, "Is everyone that serves you an idiot?"  
"No, Tom said, and then to avoid the issue, as she could see him blushing within the regions of her mind, said, "He promoted you to mistress, oooooh! He won't even let anyone say my name for fear that it will undermine his authority...he must really like you."  
"Tom, shut up," Ginny said, not realizing she had said it aloud until one Death Eater crashed through the foliage of the willow tree.  
Ginny sent him flying with a spinning heel kick. He flew into the second goon and she took off running in the opposite direction. They shot a few spells at her, which she ducked while remembering that she didn't have her wand with her.  
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She muttered while ducking yet another stupefy. She cut behind another tree that had to be at least ten feet in diameter. She circled around it and attacked them from behind. She grabbed the wand of one of them and hearing footsteps coming through the brush she turned to see Harry and Draco burst through the trees. She smiled wickedly at them and pointing the wand at the men on the ground the smell of searing flesh was evident.  
"Finite incantem!" Draco said hurriedly, extinguishing the fire that had been burning the two men from the inside out.  
"You really are no fun Draco Malfoy," Tom bit out savagely, and Draco glared into the red eyes.  
"Oh, I'm lots of fun, just not with you," Draco ground out. Tom sneered with Ginny's pale, beautiful face.  
"Bastard!"  
"You know that's not true...from what I've heard you and my father know each other very well," Draco stated promptly, while Harry made a disgusted face. Tom laughed his harsh laugh then...  
"Ginny wants her body back," and with a flourish of a bow he was gone, leaving Ginny to fall to her knees.  
"I hate when he does that!" she ground out bitterly, climbing to her feet and stalking off.

"Ginny get back here!" Harry called after his retreating friend. Ginny was still woozy, but she was rushing through the trees away from the two boys. She didn't feel well at all.

"Piss off Potter!" she snapped, feeling the need to take everything out on some one, anyone's head.

Draco quirked a brow, "Potter?" he mouthed to Harry, seeing the boy's hurt expression.

"Wipe the idiotic smirk from your face before I knock it off," Ginny snapped at Draco with out taking her eyes off the path in front of her. Draco's grin immediately faltered, though he wasn't used to muggle expressions. He shrugged, she couldn't stay mad at him forever...he was after all _the_ Draco Malfoy. She felt the tears swell up, threatening to spill out and she snapped, "Just go away." She wouldn't cry...not for them, nor in front of them.

"Ginny, you can't be angry forever," Harry said logically. Those six words did it, Ginny snapped. She whirled on Harry in a flurry of skirts and poked him in the chest.

"Don't you DARE tell me what I can and cannot do, Harry James Potter!" she yelled, disgust dripping from her words, "You are not my boyfriend, my lover, my father or my friend, so don't"-poke-" tell"- poke- "me!" She added one last poke for emphasis.

Harry's face crumpled at the last statement, but Ginny didn't notice as she had whirled on to Draco who was looking on with a cool, but amused look. Her finger came threateningly his way.

"Don't even get me started on you," she growled almost wishing he would.

"That's me that is," Tom remarked from the planes of her mind. They used to argue over what parts of her personalities were derived from him. He smirked.

"NOT...NOW...TOM!" she ground out and he shrugged in defeat before leaning against the walls of her mind. "Such a temper my little kitten. Has no one given you any milk or crème in such along time?" Then he grinned evilly, a shadow of his old self, "Or perhaps young Malfoy gave you a little too much crème and not enough milk."

"Either go away," Ginny said, "Or I'll throw myself from a cliff to be rid of your incessant talking."

Tom began to fade away with that. "I would hate for you to die Ginevra, you..."

"Don't say it Tom, I really don't want to hear it," Ginny muttered tiredly.

"Fine!" Tom said, "Later then... always later Ginevra darling." Ginny wrinkled her metaphysical nose in disgust. Eww!

* * *

Harry followed silently behind her and Draco, the extreme unhappiness radiating from him resembling that of a young child who found out there was no Father Christmas. Ginny wanted to reassure him that she hadn't meant those hurtful things she said, but she wasn't sure she hadn't, so she avoided the conflict all together. They were truly at an ends with each other. They stood in an uneasy silence as an unnatural cold crept across their skin. Harry was shaking and Draco had fallen to his knees in surprise.

"Dementors," Ginny managed to get out before Harry raised his wand. He was moving awfully slowly. In the back of her mind she could see her and Tom together in the Chamber, heard terrified screams, saw the monster as it was unleashed. "Aww good memories," Tom said, dancing drunkenly with the flashing scenes. It brought her back to herself.

"You're mental," she said. Her attention focused on Harry.

"Expecto..." Harry drug out, "Expecto...oh god...Sirius!" and he burst into dry weeps there on his knees. Ginny reached for her own wand before realizing that she had left it at the burrow on her bedside table.  
Damn! The Dementors were closing in...Double damn!

She lifted Harry's wand into her hand and "Expecto Patronum!" she refused to think of the happy memory she used, and was therefore surprised when the charm worked. Her patronus burst forth and rushed in the form of a phoenix. It circled her once before gracefully rushing off in a wave of liquid fire. The Dementors retreated, and Ginny looked to see both beautiful boys passed out on the ground. Both boys she had once loved, boys who had both saved her in their very own special way.

Ginny lit a fire, levitating both boys closer to it. She figured it would be easier if they all slept next to each other for body heat. Lying in between the two boys she sighed. Their bodies were cold as granite and she realized that their body heat should be returning to normal.

"Knew I should have bought that bra made from chocolate," she said matter of factly.

"Oh if wishes were ponies," Tom chirped laughing. This time she didn't fight him. She laughed too.

* * *

Ginny snuggled deeper into her source of warmth. She didn't want to move, but she knew she had too. She had to go to the bathroom. But she felt as if there were something she couldn't remember, some reason why she shouldn't move. An arm tightening around her sealed the deal. She opened her eyes to come face to face with...Harry's chest. She breathed in the familiar scent of him and raised her hand to stroke his face soothingly, as he was frowning. This was who they were now, as good as brother sister. He was still sleeping and she heard movement behind her. Quicker than even she knew she could move she grabbed Harry's wand and pointed it at the intruder. It was a very angry Draco. He glared at her and she scooted further back into Harry looking for protection from the bitterness of his glare.

"So what, you going to fuck him next?" Draco asked coldly and she bit her bottom lip to keep from crying.

"I'm not 'fucking' either of you," she said unhappily, "Is that all I was to you, you some great fuck?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it great," he said, "But you do get points for being a virgin." Ginny pulled away from Harry so sharply that she accidentally elbowed him in the side. He woke up instantly.

"I HATE you," she said, "I have never hated anyone as much as I hate you."  
She said it with such venom that even she believed herself. Harry watched with detached confusion, having only caught Ginny's parting remark. Ginny rose slowly to her feet and pulled away from them both. There was a telltale roaring in her ears and she dropped to one knee.  
"Tsk tsk," Tom said halfheartedly, "Ginevra Weasley, do you not remember what I told you about the cold. You shared too much body heat with no warmth to sustain you...that was a mistake."

"I know Tom," she ground out, shoving him into the far reaches of her mind. Vaguely she wondered if he had an off button. His hollow laugh rang through her mind. That in itself was an answer, a great sodding "no".

"Between Tom and Draco I may just get a big head," she huffed angrily. She took off through the trees, and as it dawned on her that she had Harry's wand she turned around and childishly chucked it at Draco's head. She took pleasure in the small thump it made as it hit him solidly and gold sparks flew out and caught his hair aflame. Harry helped him put it out as she followed her ears to a nearby stream. It was a small waterfall into a large, six foot deep pond, with a creek running off it. She stood at the top of the two foot waterfall and closing her eyes, fell forward.

Ginny felt the release of all her tension as she hit the water. Her senses sharpened and she wondered why.

"Ginny, Ginny," Tom said smirking, "All you've done is traded one brand of shock for another."

"Shut up Tom," Ginny said, she wasn't in the mood.

"Oh how I resist you when you utter such sweet endearments to me," Tom said happily and Ginny blanched.

She considered staying under the water and killing them both as stars swam before her eyes. She was saved the decision though when strong arms wrapped around her waist and propelled her up to the surface of the water. She spluttered and struggled even as Harry yelled at her from the bank. She was fine, except cold. She wouldn't admit it though. She rolled her eyes, finally climbing out of the water followed closely, too closely by Draco. She was aware, uncomfortably so of the fact that her robes were clinging to her slender frame and giving a great view of things under her clothes. She wrapped her arms around herself, ignoring Harry and the angry one sided conversation he was currently screaming. Her gaze looked with Draco's silver one as she avoided Harry and the coldness in his eyes made her feel wearier. She began pacing back and forth before punching a nearby tree. She winced as she heard the bones in her hand crack and break. She regretted it instantly, like so many other things she regretted that week.

"Dragon's dung!" she cursed. She cradled the hurt hand to her chest and bit back a whimper. Gods it hurt so badly.

"Ginny, let one of us heal your hand," Harry said. He reached for her and she skirted away.

"No, I just want you to go away," she said angrily.

"Ginny," Harry said, "This attitude really doesn't become you." Ginny glared.

"You know, you keep saying that, Harry. But your lack of understanding shows exactly how much you don't understand."

"Ginny we can't leave with out you," Harry chided.  
"You know what, Harry?" Ginny spat. "Fuck you. fuck you and you dead parents and your higher sense of fucking morality, and your fucking superiority complex! No one asked for your fucking help, and I don't need it."

Draco snorted; he raised his wand and said a spell. Harry caught his friend before she fell.

"Malfoy!" Harry protested, while Draco glared at him.

"You know, she's right. Fuck you and your higher sense of morality you great prat."

Then he stomped away, followed more slowly by a teetering Harry.

* * *

(Dream)

Ginny looked up from the sweater she was knitting. It was maroon for Ron, he didn't know it, but every year she knitted his for him. Always the color she knew he hated, a bit of payback for the destruction of her Little Miss Bertie Bott Oven when she was eight. She had a rather large stock of the black and orange their mother actually made him. Tom stood in front of her, and he reached down and yanked her roughly to her feet, pulling her close.

"Ginny," he said, "I feel for you." He wrapped his hand in her hair, pulling to tilt her head back. "You always were one for words, Tom," she said sardonically. Tom kissed her roughly, bruising her mouth with his own. He forced her lips to part as she struggled against his tight hold.

"No!" she yelled. He smiled again, a threatening, cool look. "Not even in your dreams," he said, smirking with his angelic face, his anger boiling under the surface. "No, not even in your dreams, Tom," she said hollowly.

"You caught me, maybe next time then, Ginny. Know this, I will never force you, but sooner or later you will come to me freely, even if I have to destroy everyone you love to get to you." "I would die before I ever let that happen," Ginny said sadly, knowing that if it came down to it, she would have to.

* * *

Ginny awoke suddenly, running her hand down her face. Her hand was bruised, but it was no longer broken. She studied the room she was held in slowly. It was lovely and decorated in greens of different shades. She strode to the windows and pulled the curtains open. She shied away from the sun like a newly born vampire and had to hold a hiss of pain from escaping her lips as the bright light assaulted her eyes. She looked upon a body of water and wondered where she was and how she had gotten there.

Draco strode into the room then, and she looked at him slowly. He was dressed in all white, his hair hanging down recklessly into his eyes. He looked like he had while they had...no Ginny would not think of that right now.

"Where am I?" she asked as slowly as she was moving. His smoky silver eyes looked at her and her heart fluttered.

"We're in the southern part of Italy," he said quietly, "At a villa my mother's family owns."

"Why aren't we at the burrow?" she asked, confused. He sighed.

"When you ran away you broke the shields that surrounded your family's property."

She began to argue, but remembered the invisible wall she had faced. It made sense.

She frowned, "Where's Harry?"  
Draco's eyes hardened and he closed the distance between them.  
"Why?" he snapped, "What's wrong Ginny, don't want to be near me?"  
No! She wanted to be near him so bad it hurt. He reached out and cradled her face. She let him. He pulled her to him and ran his hands through her hair. When he angled her face up for a kiss he pulled at it gently, brushing his lips across hers. It reminded her of her dream with Tom. With his name on her thoughts he took it as his signal to interrupt.

"You always did like the bad guys," he smirked. Ginny shook her meta-physical head at him.

"Draco's not a bad guy," she said. She backed away from him all the same, tripping and falling to the bed.

"You keep telling yourself that Ginevra," Tom said smugly, "And yet I know that you don't exactly believe that. If you did you wouldn't let me come between the two of you."

Draco looked at her as she struggled to shove Tom away. "Are you ok?" he asked, she couldn't tell if he was disguising his voice, or if he really didn't care.

"Fine. Just another encounter with Tom the Peeper." Her humor was lost to him, hell it was lost to her.

* * *

Ginny was glad to be back at Hogwarts, though she was distraught at the idea of it being her last year. She wondered if that was how the teachers had felt, and was the reason behind them staying. Not Snape, she justified, he was probably teased throughout school and had decided to come back to get revenge with as many of his classmates through their children as possible. He was after all, a Slytherin in his youth, he would be devious enough to do it. Ginny wondered if she would ever come back to teach at the school. She rather liked the idea. She thought she saw someone moving in the shadows, but was wrong. She heard noise coming from around the next corner and quickly hid behind a statue as Professor Snape and Professor Trelawney came around the corner holding hands. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and just managed to hold her laughter in.

Peeves floated into being before her.

"Well, if it isn't the littlest Weas-sely," he cackled, "Out to make mischief, eh?" She considered it. "Sure, why not, I do have a legacy to carry on don't I?"

Peeves cackled in glee. Miss Norris came from the shadows just then, and Peeves kicked her into an empty classroom.

He giggled, "I haven't done that in weeks!" Ginny smiled. "Follow me Weas-sely," he said, "I have the perfect idea!"

* * *

"We need to get to the library," someone protested. Dumbledore shrugged.

"The library is only accessible by canoe at the moment."

"What happened?" someone else asked.  
Dumbledore threw his hands up, "We're sinking!"  
Then he and the rest of the people filtered off.  
Ginny thought it was funny, really she did. But in the process of flooding the library she had dropped her wand. She shed her cloak and robes, stepping waist deep into the water. She knew that she would be in trouble and had elected to swim under water to get to the library. She descended the rest of the stairs she was standing on and taking a deep breath submerged herself completely. She cursed when she reached the library. You never knew exactly how big a room is until you filled it with water and lost something as small as a wand. After a half hour of searching and finding small air pockets for a quick breath she found her wand. It was in the restricted section and in the act of getting over the large gates she rapped her head sharply and nearly drowned herself.

Ginny ran through the halls not even bothering to stop the change. She was already late for DADA. She banged the door open and stood there dripping. Harry and Draco looked at her. Dumbledore had given the two the job and she'd give everybody three guesses why.

"So nice of you to join us," Draco said rudely. Ginny ignored him, and he took points. He really did give Snape a run for his money. She didn't respond, just squished to an open seat beside Colin.

"Gin, you're bleeding," he said touching the cut above her eye. She blotted at the blood with her sleeve.

"Where were you?" Harry asked. Gin frowned.  
"I fell in a puddle," she sniffed. Harry's eyes narrowed. Then he took points from Gryffindor as well.  
"Arsehole!" Ginny snapped, before stalking out of the room. Draco rushed after her. He grabbed her arm and she flashed back to the time she had stayed in Italy with him.

(flashback)

They were sitting on a beach eating fruit. Ginny laughed and picked up a green one with five ridges.  
"What's this one?" she asked curiously. Draco took it and sliced it. When he handed it to her it was shaped like a star.  
"Its called star fruit," he said grinning at her. No, that wasn't right, Malfoy's didn't grin. He quickly altered his features to an impassive smirk. Ginny wasn't fooled though.  
She bit into it and looked at him in surprise, "It's tart."  
Draco handed her another one, this time coming from one with a purple outside. She bit into it and giggled when juice ran down her cheek. Draco watched her with a hungry look in his eyes.  
He leaned closer, "That one's called passion fruit."  
She looked at him, her head cocked to the right, "Why's it called that?"

He caught her hand as she started to wipe the juice away. he leaned right next to her mouth and flicking his tongue out licked away the juice. "I can think of a few reasons."

Ginny was pulled back to reality as Draco shook her once, hard. She struggled against his grip and in true romance story style, only ended up closer than she wanted.  
"You're getting wet," she said softly, looking down, shaking from the warmth of his body.  
"Never mind," he snapped, "What's your problem?" He shook her once more.  
"I can't...I can't escape...from any of you," she looked confused.  
"And do you Ginny want to escape?" he asked softly against her ear. She shuddered, and not just from the cold.  
"I just want to get away," she said quietly.  
"You can't keep running and it's foolish to believe that you can," he said, sounding slightly annoyed.  
"No, but I can try," she was back to struggling to get away from him. He leaned down, capturing her mouth with his. He pressed against her and she welcomed him, before sighing sadly and pulling away.

Damn it, he couldn't keep doing this to her!

She slumped in defeat, "Draco I just want to lie down." She let him lead her down a hall to his private rooms where he gave her boxers of the vampire duck and penguin variety and a t-shirt to wear. She changed quickly and climbed into bed.  
"Stay here?" she asked, "Just stay here with me, please?"  
He nodded, and ridding himself of his robes and shoes climbed into the bed besides her, tucking them both in. He tried to justify his actions by telling himself that he was there to protect her.  
'Right,' a small voice in his head said, 'Because that worked so well the last time.'  
She settled into his arms, her face hidden in his chest. His breathing slowed and she looked up. Quietly she confessed the one thing she never wanted to admit to anyone.  
"Draco," she frowned a bit, "I think I love you. No, I know I love you...so much it hurts," and then she quietly cried into his chest. He didn't answer, and he struggled to keep his breathing normal, his heart from racing. When she finally fell asleep he stirred and kissed her forehead. But there was no tender reply. He couldn't.

* * *

Ginny walked with Draco to lunch, where she sat with Collin and chatted happily, and sneaking glances at a certain blonde teacher. She was feeling considerable well, actually, she was almost sure she was on a sugar high...or maybe it was just adrenaline. Everyone was so caught up in what they were doing to notice when Harry clutched his scar...except Draco, who elbowed him sharply. All hell broke loose as Voldemort stalked into the Great Hall. There were shouts of terror and a Hufflepuff wet his pants rather inconspicuously. The teachers rose slowly, only to find that they could neither draw wand, nor move from the table. This was when Ginny ungracefully went sailing to the floor to lay in a heap and the feet of the Death Eaters. She gasped for breath as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.  
"Come with me Ginny," Voldemort said, and she gathered herself enough to crawl backwards away from him. He smiled his evil smile, "That won't work. Come to me!" and there was something more sinister to the command. Ginny began to laugh, a dark laugh one could only describe as terrifying. Her eyes bled from their normal brown to red.  
"Don't make me laugh," she said breezily, "Do you really think people listen to you? You're nothing but a washed up wizard that still sleeps with a teddy bear."  
"Ah, so that's where my other half has been hiding," Voldemort said dismissively, "Come along then," and he made to turn and leave.  
"Ginny doesn't want to go," Tom said with a yawn.  
"Then make her," Voldemort said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
"I can't be bothered," and he stretched like a great cat, stalking a circle around Voldemort, with a snort and a parting, "What a disappointment, I've meet chunks of cheese with more cunning plans than you," and he was gone. Tom had stepped so close to Voldemort that Ginny could see his teeth.  
"Come with me Ginny," he said once more. She frowned.  
"You have spinach in your teeth," she said as if she were saying, 'wow I like you hair cut...'she considered asking him for a galleon if she spit shined his forehead. He raised one large hand and hit her across the face. She fell to the floor her hand to her stinging cheek. She stood back up.  
"That's nice, Captain Forehead, why don't you do it again?" he struck her across the other side. One more time she climbed to her feet.  
"I'm sure that's real easy for you, you half-blood, no talent BASTARD!" she shouted.  
When he swung at her that time she dropped to the floor and kicked his legs out from under him and rolled away. As he climbed to his feet she kneed him in the southern part of town and broke his skeletal nose.  
Then suddenly there was a shout of Dog Pile on Ginny Weasley. Crude but efficient and in a wave of smoke they were gone, leaving one very confused group of people.  
"Dog pile?" Harry asked, staring at the spot on the floor.  
"You're worried about the dog pile?" Snape asked.  
"Yeah," Draco said, "You should be more worried about the ninja smoke and the Death Eaters in the Great Hall!"  
"Time is of the esscence."

* * *

Ginny awoke rather abruptly to find her self bound and gagged. The moment her eyes opened her guards let, to come back following Voldie the innocent...Tom snickered at the new name.  
"You know, you're lucky I have a great sense of humor," he said laughing. Ginny wondered if that had been something that had rubbed off on him, Lords knew she was gaining things from him.  
"Hello Ginny," he said, running his hand down her cheek and trailing it down her arm. She flinched away in disgust.  
"Come out to play Tom Riddle," he said softly and pulled a dagger from his robes. He cut her at the crook of her and gave himself a similar wound.  
"Blood to blood I call you, soul to flesh I seek you, heart to heart I bind you, mind to mind, we are one." A small light shot from the wound and connected to his. Soon Voldemort was covered completely in red light. When the light faded away, there stood Tom Riddle, Voldemort had his soul back. He was perfect, down to his slick back hair and Slytherin smirk. His blue eyes shined malevolently.  
"Tom?" Ginny called to the inner caverns of her mind. The silence ensued like a rushing tidal wave. She was completely alone, and inside she wept. "I must thank you, Genevra," he whispered softly against her cheek, "You've made me whole again." He brushed his lips to hers and she turned away.  
"Not even in your dreams, Tom," she whispered. He gripped her arm.  
"This is no dream Ginny, and you will be mine if I have to destroy everything you value to make you love me."  
"I would kill you before I let that happen," she said thinking of her family, and Harry and Draco. She wasn't sure who believed that statement more, her or Tom.  
"Lock her up," he growled.

* * *

Ginny fell to her knees. There wasn't much movement allowed as she was shackled to a wall. She fell in and out of consciousness for hours. She awoke slowly and felt the building rock on its foundation. She realized what was happening immediately and began straining against her binds. She didn't stop struggling, not even when she felt the cool metal slide into the tender flesh of her wrists or when the steady flow of blood began falling. The cell door burst open and she screamed.

(...Half an Hour earlier.)  
Harry counted six guards on the outside. he looked at the people he had gathered. It was him, Ron, who insisted on coming when he heard the news, Draco, who Harry tried to lock in a cell at Azkaban to keep from coming and Remus and Kingsley, along with a few other members of the Order.  
"Right," Harry said, trying for a pep talk, "If any of you come up against Voldemort don't hesitate, blow his left arm off and run like the hounds of hell are on your...erm...bum. If all else fails, use expellarimus and..erm...keep and eye out for Ginny. Right...we need a distraction."  
"I'll distract them," Draco growled, "I'll kill them all, that ought to distract them." And he stomped away, and disabled all of the guards with one quick spell. Granted the guard were now bushes which Draco set aflame. Harry would have doused them with water, but he was, after all, in a hurry.

(Present)  
Ron gently carried Ginny around another corner. This feat was made difficult because Ginny was now passed out in Ron's arms. Blood loss, the boy decided. A boy with black hair stepped in front of him. He glared at Ron.  
"You can't have her, she's mine," he growled, and Ron started.  
"Hold on!" he said sharply, "Who are you!" He didn't wait for an answer, just turned and ran the opposite way.  
"Malfoy!" he yelled sharply rounding another corner, and stopped as he watched Draco plunged a knife into a Death Eater's chest. Draco looked at him as the man dropped lifelessly to the floor.  
"Tom Riddle," Draco said, looking past Ron and Ron walked slowly behind Draco.  
"I need to get her out of her and to a medi-wizard," he said softly. Draco nodded.  
"I knew you'd recognize me," Tom said, "Draco, what will I do with you? You left me for a Weasley."  
"No Tom, I was never yours to begin with," Draco ground out. The building shuddered around them and the boys struggled to keep their balance. The bombs had started exploding.  
"Yes, and that was a shame," Tom said wistfully, "Oh well."  
Harry rounded the corner.  
"Draco, I think Ron needs help getting out of here with Ginny," then he saw Tom. His eyes narrowed. "Riddle!" he hissed. Draco shrugged. Not his fight any more. The building rocked as another bomb exploded, this time closer. He began running towards the exit. After shocks sent him to his knees.  
Silently he mused, 'Maybe Potter was right, three tons of plastic explosives was wayyyy too much.'

Draco stared down at Ginny and Ron.  
"Where's Potter?" he mused, the rest of the bombs would explode soon and if Potter didn't get out soon he'd surely be killed. Ron was talking to an unconscious Ginny softly. Draco waited a few more minutes before running back into the house to find the boy-who-lived. He found him in the same hallway he had left him and Tom Riddle. Riddle's body lay on the ground in front of Harry. Harry was staring at him wide eyed. When he saw Draco he gulped.  
"I-I- I killed him!" and silent tears ran down his face.  
"Yes you did," Draco said, patting the boy on the back, "Good on you, lets go!"  
He pulled at Harry and the boy followed with a stricken look on his face. He reminded Draco of a boy he once saw sit on a squirrel. Of course the boy weighed near two hundred pounds and the poor squirrel was road kill. The first of the last explosions began, setting the rest off in a domino effect. Draco threw himself and Harry out the window to save time. They landed in wild bushes that tore at their bodies. Draco landed first and struck his head rather hard upon the ground before Harry landed on top of him. They both went rolling away from the insane bushes and as the entire house exploded feet away from them and fire licked at their bodies they passed out. Harry from shock, Draco from a head wound that caused a coma...poor boys.

* * *

(Sap and fluff and stuff coming up)

* * *

It was a week before Christmas and Ginny went through the motion of classes in a haze. She knew there was something off, but she couldn't put her finger on. She couldn't get Draco out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his prone body in the hospital bed at St. Mungoes. She couldn't help but think it was her fault. Her and the damned diary's. Why she had ever been so foolish she didn't know.  
She walked into DADA and looked at Harry...and started. She realized what was different.  
"Oh Harry," she whispered setting down her bag, "What did you do to your hair?"  
And it was true. Harry had indeed done something to his hair. She fingered the unruly...blond mop.  
That was why she kept seeing blond. She slowly looked around the room. Everyone had blond hair. She sorted through what she remembered of the day and realized that everyone had blond hair, the entire school. "Harry, what's going on?" she asked quietly, "Why is everyone blond."  
"Not everyone, Gin," a voice said from behind her. She spun, she knew that voice! And there he stood, with a dozen white roses and one single red. Her hand flew to her mouth, trapping her gasp.  
"Draco?" he answered her by taking two steps forward, picking her up in his arms and striding out the door with her.  
"Draco! Put me down, you're hurt," Ginny cried. He sat her down and looked into her big brown eyes.  
"My nurse told me that you visited me," he said softly.  
"Really?" Ginny asked, "what did she say?"  
"She said a girl with flaming red hair sat by my beside for weeks without leaving...and then the ministry forcefully removed her and put up wards to keep her 100 ft from the building," Draco said with a smirk.  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ginny protested. There was no way she was admitting to attacking a nurse when she tried to give Draco a sponge bath. She swore that old hussy was just trying to sneak a peek. Draco smiled. He pulled her into his embrace and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.  
"Ginny, I love you too." As soon as he said it he knew he meant it and he smiled. The first real smile of his life. 


End file.
